Honor's Robot Wins Beijing Half-Marathon in 50:26

A humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor claimed victory in a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday, completing the 21-kilometer course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, a time that surpassed the human world record.

The event, held in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, known as Beijing E-Town, featured more than 100 humanoid robots from over 70 teams, a sharp increase from the 20 participants in the inaugural race last year. Organizers reported that about 40 percent of the robots navigated the course autonomously using sensors and algorithms, while others relied on remote control. The robots ran on parallel tracks alongside 12,000 human runners to prevent collisions, traversing paved slopes and parkland designed to test durability and battery life.

Honor dominated the podium, with its autonomous models taking first, second and third places. The runners-up finished in approximately 51 minutes and 53 minutes, respectively. State media outlet Global Times noted that a separate Honor robot, operated remotely, crossed the finish line first in 48 minutes and 19 seconds but was awarded second place under the event's scoring rules, which...